Allegations of match-fixing in cricket surfaced again,with an Indian bookmaker telling London-based newspaper The Sunday Times that last years World Cup semi-final match between India and Pakistan was tainted. The fixers claimed to have recruited players from several countries using a Bollywood actress as a honeytrap.

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When contacted,an International Cricket Council (ICC) official said: It will be handled by the Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ASCU). We do not comment on ACSU matters.

India had defeated Pakistan by 29 runs in the semi-final,with Sachin Tendulkar,who top-scored with 85,being dropped as many as four times during the innings.

The newspapers investigation has also suggested that bookmakers targeted English county games taking advantage of the lack of monitoring in such contests,offering thousands of pounds to the players  about 44,000 pounds to batsmen for slow scoring,50,000 pounds to bowlers for conceding runs and 750,000 pounds to a player or official who could guarantee a match outcome.

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A Delhi bookmaker told the newspaper that county cricket is a good market as it involves low-profile matches and nobody monitors them. Thats why good money can be made there without any hassle.

The paper has passed on all the information it gathered from its investigation to the ICC.

Betting on cricket in the legal and illegal markets continues to grow rapidly and,with many,many millions of dollars being bet on every match,the threat of (those) seeking to influence the game has not gone away, an ICC spokesperson said.

Just a few weeks ago,former Essex bowler Mervyn Westfield had become the first English cricketer to be jailed for corruption after he admitted taking money to fix a match against Durham in September 2009.

Last year,three Pakistani players  Salman Butt,Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir  had been jailed in Britain for spot-fixing in a 2010 Test match against England.